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Jewel anemone

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Scientific name: Corynactis viridis
It's easy to see where the jewel anemone got its name - the tiny colourful blobs that tip its tentacles look like jewels! Forming dense, colourful carpets on rocky overhangs, jewel anemones are one of the UK's most beautiful underwater sights.

Top facts

Category

Stats

Height: up to 1.5cm tall, 2.5cm across

Conservation status

Common

When to see

January to December

About

Jewel anemones come in a stunning array of colours: pink, purple, yellow, green, orange and more. The live on hard surfaces beneath the sea, from rocky outcrops to pier legs. Each anemone has around 100 tentacles, each with a small round blob on the end. These little blobs are white or another contrasting colour to their body and look a lot like little jewels! Jewel anemones reproduce asexually - meaning a single anemone will split into two anemones. This can create a beautiful patchwork effect where they live - with those of each colour budding from a single individual. They feed on small shrimps and fish that they catch with their stinging tentacles. They live in shallow waters down to between 50 and 80m.

What to look for

A small anemone-like animal with a rings of short tentacles each tipped with a small coloured or white blob. They are brightly coloured and form dense carpets on rocks or other hard surfaces in shallow waters down to a maximum of 80m.

Where to find

Found around South and West Coasts of Britain, largely absent from the East Coast.

Did you know?

Jewel anemones are more closely related to corals than to other anemone species. Truth be told, they aren't really anemones at all!